Sandy Salt - Crusty Sub Guy that has spent way too much time in the desert. And yes my middle name is Angry!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Robert Gates the Greatest Sec Def

MIRACLES do happen: A Bush Cabinet officer has proven not only competent, but wise, honest, independent and courageous. That man is Defense Secretary Robert Gates - who just may be the best SecDef this country has ever had.

Gates' most-recent demonstration of patriotic guts involved firing the Air Force secretary and chief of staff. They had it coming. The secretary was oblivious and inert. The chief of staff, Gen. Michael "Buzz" Moseley, thought that the only Air Force missions that mattered were supporting Lockheed Martin and fighting attempts to expand the use of cost-effective UAVs (a k a "drones"). - Ralph Peters

I admire the man as much as Peters does because he has been great for the country and the military. As I said before the Air Force gives me headaches daily over their silliness when it comes to their nuclear mission, so when Sec. Gates decapitated them, it was a strong message to straighten up and fly right.

I am not a lover or a hater of the "boys in blue", but they needed a huge calibration on their missions in the world today. Nukes sure aren't popular, but they do still play a vital role in keeping this great country free. Putting that mission into the hands of people that don't understand or even care is criminal. After almost 20 years of supporting this country's deterrence mission, it chaps my butt to see the Air Force marginalize it.

Whether you love or hate nuclear weapons it doesn't really matter because the facts are that they have kept this country safe for the last 60+ years. Sure we have had UN interventions, police actions, and regional conflicts, but no world wars with millions of people being slaughtered on all sides. The nuclear genie is out of the bottle and it can not be ignored, so wake up "boys in blue" and give your nukes some love.